Western NY contractor arrested after customer discovers video camera in her bathroom

AMHERST, N.Y. -- A Buffalo-area contractor installed a video camera
in a client's bathroom so he could record her as she showered, police
said Saturday.

Kevin Eckerd of Lockport.Courtesy of Amherst police

Kevin
Eckert, 60, was arrested Saturday at his home in the nearby town of
Lockport and faces charges of unlawful surveillance and stalking. It was
not immediately clear whether Eckert had an attorney.

Authorities said his customer, an Amherst woman in her 30s, was
getting out of the shower one recent morning when she noticed something
unusual.

"As she got out of the shower, she happens to look down at the air
return vent at the base of the vanity on the floor and notices a lens,"
Amherst Detective Lt. Rick Walter told the Buffalo News. "She gets her husband, they take off the grill, find the camera and call police."

The detective said Eckert used what's called a "trail" camera.

"It's very popular for deer hunters because it's motion activated,"
Walker said. "So whenever she would get in the shower, it would
activate."

The newspaper reported that authorities are looking into the
possibility that other customers might also have been videotaped in
their homes.

Walker said the family had hired Eckert numerous times to do odd jobs around the house.